Our overseas journey started (as they all do) on the plane - the kids were very excited, and despite the 11:30pm departure time, both of them vowed to stay awake the whole way there. Ah, the follies of youth... :)
Due to a slight schedule adjustment by Pacific Air, we actually arrived a day earlier than originally planned, so they very generously put us up at the Raffles Gateway hotel, which was just over the road from the airport. As in, literally, you just had to cross the road. A van came and picked us up, packed our luggage, and then we drove for five seconds to get to the hotel. Very amusing. After a short enforced nap to allow the grown-ups time to catch up on some needed sleep, we hit the swimming pool for a leisurely afternoon swim.
It was only a 3.5 star resort, but that was fine by us, as it had a fantastic pool and water slide. Aside from the almost constant use of said slide, the kids also took the opportunity to get in some snorkelling practice.
And, after all that, what better way to wind down the afternoon than a quick dip in the spa pool?
It was a huge day of swimming, and by dinner time, both kids were more than a little exhausted, and pretty much fell asleep in their food.
The next day saw us on the ferry, heading off to our principal destination: Mana Island!
We got there a little early to check in, so we simply sat down at a convenient sheltered bar, and admired the scenery. No sooner had we done this, than a friendly local came up and got us some drinks: coffee for the adults, lemonade for Lucas, and some manner of blue sugary chemicals for Alicia. Oh, dear. For Alicia, this was the first of many techni-colour smiles that she was to sport whilst on Mana Island!
Eventually our room was ready, so we checked in, and settled in for some serious leisure time. There was dancing and party games in the evenings:
More snorkelling, both practising in the pool (again), as well as for real at the beach. And not to mention just wearing you flippers and chilling out on the couch!
Food was cheap enough at the resort, but we discovered a cheap and cheerful restaurant at the Backpacker's and local village that saw our custom for the majority of our lunches on the island (and even a breakfast or two).
The days passed leisurely by in a pleasant blur of totally stress-free activities. We spent most of our time on the beach, sometimes snorkelling and observing the magnificent coral bommies and the gorgeously colourful fish that populated them, sometimes just swimming for fun, sometimes just chilling out and reading!
There were some canoes available for complimentary use of the guests, and we'd often take advantage of these from time to time. Lucas became quite a proficient paddler towards the end.
And of course, there was always the obligatory "happy hour", where drinks went from being cheap to being even cheaper. Cocktails and beer for the adults, and sugar for the kids - it was win-win!
Alicia was also quite keen to get her hair braided, so we visited the local village and had it done. Two hours in total, and she was very patient, and also very pleased with the result!
It was all good. Mostly sunny days, and even the rainy days were still quite bearable. Fiji just doesn't seem to be able to muster the gloom that Melbourne is famous for, or maybe it was just the laid-back and relaxed attitude of all on the island.
Although it was pleasantly slow in coming, we eventually got to our last day, and were crooned off the island by two very talented and cheerful minstrels. We all vowed to come back someday to this little piece of paradise.
So, having "roughed it" out on the island, we checked in for four final days of five-star luxury at the Radisson Blu resort on Denarau. It had a truly enormous swimming pool (with swim-up bar), another awesome waterslide (which is where Lucas spent the majority of his time), fancy restaurants and all the mod-cons you'd come to expect from this kind of place.
Truth to tell, we much preferred the pristine beaches and gorgeous waters of the island to the chlorinated pools and luxury trappings of the Radisson, but nonetheless we still had a fun and very relaxing time here.
Alas, all good things come to an end, but we'd had a truly fantastic twelve days of fun, relaxing and enjoyment on Fiji. Absolutely number one favourite holiday to date. Don't get me wrong - we love visiting family and friends, you guys are great and all, but if it's 100% leisure and relaxation we're after, then Fiji wins hands down!
Love to all,
Andrew.
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